You Had Me From Hello
by clarawithfitzsimmonsin221b
Summary: Every great duo had their beginning somewhere. How exactly did Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons meet and turn into Fitzsimmons?
1. First Impressions

The sprawling campus of S.H.I.E.L.D.'S SciOps spread out in front of a young freshman. She was just one of many exiting the cars that had fetched the students from the airport. This particular girl was wearing dark skinny jeans and short, black, lace-up boots. On top she had donned a navy blue sweater over top of a long-sleeved white collared shirt. There was a black laptop case slung over her shoulder and she had a rolling trunk that the driver pulled out of the trunk for her. Jemma Simmons took a deep breath and started following the flow of the crowd. The wind blew her mostly straight brunette hair across her face, obscuring her vision, leaving her in total shock when she felt herself falling head-over-heels down the sidewalk.

"Oh!" cried Jemma, looking up as she came to a stop, wondering what had caused that undoubtedly embarrassing scene. _You sure know how to make an entrance, Simmons. _When she looked back to where she had let go of her trunk she saw the cause of all her troubles-a person. He had short, curly blond hair and was wearing a ¾ sleeve collared shirt in a plaid print. There was something about his face that was vaguely familiar, but Jemma couldn't quite place it. His dark blue tie had been knocked crooked by the fall. A quick glance at the scene told Jemma that he had probably tripped and then she tripped over him. She hauled herself up off the ground, dusting off her pants and adjusting her laptop case, which seemed unscathed. Mystery Boy was still on the ground so she walked back over and offered her hand.

"Would you like some help?" He took her hand and stood, a look of utter embarrassment on his face.

"Thank you and I'm so sorry about that." The sound of his voice tickled her memory again, just a bit. His Scottish accent was prominent when he spoke, _although I suppose I sound very British around here_.

"It's fine, no harm done. I'm Jemma Simmons."

"Leopold Fitz. I just didn't want to be late for general lecture so I guess I wasn't really watching where I was going." He let a sheepish smile creep across his face. "How long have you been at the Academy?"

_Leopold Fitz. Huh. He must just look like someone from back home. _

"Actually this is my first year…I was just on my way to my room." Jemma held her breath. _I hate being the awkward freshman_.

"Oh thank goodness. I was afraid you were an upperclassman who was going to rat me out. I'm a freshman as well." Relief flooded his whole stance, "Which dorm are you in?"

"Um…hang on a mo." Jemma consulted her paperwork. "Oh the 200 building. I don't suppose you could point me in the right direction?"

"I can show you if you'd like," He offered, "general lecture doesn't actually start for another hour and I'm in the 300's-that's adjoined to the 200's so I can get you there."

"That would be fantastic." Jemma grabbed her trunk and they started off. "So what do I call you, Leopold Fitz?"

"Most people just call me Fitz," He grinned, "It's a bit better than Leopold. My parents were a touch on the odd side."

"Well I can feel your pain there-I can't even count the number of times I've been called Jenna. Honestly, half the time I just go by Simmons. It's much harder to mess up." She already felt at ease walking with Fitz. It was natural, as if they had known each other for weeks rather than minutes.

"Simmons it is then. What department are you focusing in?"

"I'm in Biochem," she gave him a sideways glance, "How about yourself?"

"I'm in Engineering."

"Oh that's….fun." Jemma wasn't quite sure what to say, given that she was much more inclined to the living than the mechanical.

"I could say the same about Biochem." Fitz retorted in a friendly jab. Their laughter carried them across the lawn, Fitz guiding their path. He gave Simmons a sideways glance. There was something about her that seemed so familiar...he just wasn't sure what it was.

_Probably just the accent, there's plenty of Brits back home. _

They chatted a bit about their life back home and where they had gone to college before when Fitz said,

"And there's the 200's." He pointed to a non-descript building off to the side. It was a light gray and connected to an identical building next door through a small hallway. Consulting her paperwork again Simmons gave a small groan.

"Ugh. I'm up on the second floor." Reluctantly, she started to haul her trunk toward the stairs.

"Would you like some help?" _Please say yes-I really don't want to walk back over alone._

"I think I can manage" But Simmons was obviously struggling with the trunk and it started to slip. Just before it hit the floor Fitz darted over and caught it. A slight blush crept into Jemma's cheeks.

"We'll I suppose some help probably wouldn't go amiss" she amended with a small smile. Fitz readjusted his grip and followed Simmons up the stairs.

"What do you even have in here that makes it so heavy?" Fitz didn't sound annoyed-he was honestly just curious.

"Mostly clothes and supplies...but I probably overdid it on the books." With a sort of sheepish look on her face she glanced at the trunk. "I just couldn't leave them all behind." Fitz knew that feeling-he adored his own books.

"Do you have a favorite?" He asked casually.

_This is gonna sound really nerdy, _thought Simmons, _but I can't exactly lie to him, can I?_

"If I had to choose….probably Harry Potter."

"You like Harry Potter?" Fitz's whole face lit up and Simmons tentatively glanced at him.

"I'm actually rereading Prisoner of Azkaban-"

"That's my favorite book! I love Lupin, and I mean obviously he-"

"Was a werewolf! I know! I couldn't believe only Hermione figured it out." The pair came to a stop outside Jemma's room. Their eyes met for a second and they shared a smile.

"I think I can get it from here." Simmons unlocked the door to her new room, "Thanks."

"No problem," Fitz took a half step back and put his hands part way in his pockets, "So I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure." Jemma grinned, "Maybe we can have a Potter movie marathon sometime."

"That'd be fun." Fitz glanced at his watch, "Alright, I've gotta go. Don't want to miss the start of lecture." Simmons gave a small wave, then pulled her trunk in and shut the door.

Simmons spent her first full day at SciOps learning her way around campus and chatting with the girl in the room next door, Clara. Classes didn't start till the next day and Jemma couldn't get that curly haired boy out of her mind. Normally she could turn her focus to her work, but the familiarity of Fitz's face was eating away at her.

In the next building over the boy in question was staring at a piece of paper. His classes had officially started yesterday but they wouldn't do any work till tomorrow. The paper Fitz was staring at was a list of course options within the engineering field. He didn't know it for sure yet, but the choice he was about to make would change his life forever. He checked a box and headed off to turn it in.

Jemma rose with the sun the next day, a habit she had developed a while ago. Slipping on some jeans and a light blue shirt, she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and went outside. The new sunlight and cold of the early morning cloaked her as she settled on a bench in the back of the 200's. While the birds greeted the morning Simmons fell into a world of magic. It wasn't until she found herself shivering that she pulled herself up and decided it was time for breakfast.

Fitz was already in the breakfast hall. He might love his sleep, but all you had to do to wake him up was mention food. He was already halfway through a second round of bacon when Simmons walked in. She had added a black blazer over her shirt and was carrying her laptop case. Simmons grabbed a muffin and some orange juice, then scanned the crowd. She found Fitz at a corner table and slipped into the seat across from him.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" she asked tentatively

Fitz glanced up.

"Oh yeah, yeah of course!" He shifted his plate over to make some room and she set her food down.

"So are you excited? First day after all."

Jemma contemplated her orange juice before answering.

"I'm a little nervous actually. Where do you go first?"

"I'm heading to room 111." Jemma gave him a funny look at that.

"111? But that's the Biochem general lecture."

"I know." Fitz gave a shrug and a smile, "its part of the engineering course I'm taking...something about working with partners or something."

"Oh, the inter-division thing." Simmons took another bite of muffin. "I think I might have put that on my application." Just then the bell rang and a wave of motion ensued.

"Well let's go find out." said Fitz

The lecture hall was already half full when they got there and claimed a couple seats in the middle near the front. Simmons opened up her laptop while Fitz pulled out a notebook and pencil. The rest of the hall quickly filled with wide-eyed freshman. They were obviously trying to play it cool, but no one could fail to be amazed on their first day at the Academy. Two professors walked through a back door and up to the desks. As the final bell rang the first one, a woman on the shorter side with black hair, said,

"Welcome. My name is Professor Ellie White. I am the head of the Biochem department and am very happy to introduce my colleague-"

"Bond. James Bond." The other professor, a man, also short but with brown hair, interjected smoothly, triggering a ripple of laughter from the students. "Actually, it's Professor Mark Hall. We leave that action stuff the crazies over at Operations. I am the head of the Engineering department."

"You are all here because you opted to try out a new program," Prof. White continued, "In which one Biochem and one Engineering student are paired together in order for us to assess the practicality of training teams."

"You should know," added Prof. Hall, "We have already paired you based on the scores you submitted to us with your applications." There was a collective deflation in the room at his words. Simmons glanced over at Fitz, who was already looking at her. Each saw their thought reflected in the other's face: _we probably aren't working together._

"This program will focus both on your individual skills in the field of your choice, but also on teaching you how to collaborate those skills with those of your partner." White looked to Hall, who added,

"Our hope is that you and your partner will form a working relationship that is conducive to continuing for all 4 years of your education here so that upon entering the S.H.I.E.L.D. workforce you are already part of a functioning team."

With a smile, Prof. White produced a piece of paper from her folder. "I know you're all dying to see your assignment. When I call your name, come up to the front. Once you have met your partner find a seat next to them. First, from Biochem, Carol Rodgers." A petite blond made her way forward and was paired with Percy York, a tall, wiry boy. Fitz and Simmons held their breath, each waiting to see who would be the first to be split off of their newly formed duo. Over half the room had been paired off when finally Professor White said,

"Jemma Simmons, from Biochem." Simmons grabbed her laptop and gave Fitz a sad smile, nervousness showing through it. She stepped up next to the desk up front.

"And Leopold Fitz, from Engineering." At first Simmons thought she had heard wrong, so she turned to look at Fitz who had an equal look of shock on his face, so she must have heard right. She felt a smile, a real one this time, spread across her face when she heard Prof. Hall say, "Looks like you can just go back to your seat, Miss Simmons." There was an edge of a smile in his voice, and when Jemma looked back she saw amusement on his face.

"Yes sir." She responded with a grin and practically skipped back to her seat by Fitz, who gently squeezed her shoulder and smiled.

"Alright, that's the last of it." Prof. White put her list back in the folder a few minutes later. "You are all free to go; you will both receive revised schedules within 24 hours. Expect to have most, if not all of your classes with your partner."

A flurry of packing up followed her words, accompanied by much conversation. Fitz and Simmons simply shared a look before they stood up to leave.

"Fitz. Simmons. A word?" The pair found the two professors looking at them expectantly. They changed course and stepped inside the office that was just off the lecture hall.

"We wanted to have a quick chat about your pairing." Prof. White looked back and forth between them.

"You were paired together because you were the top of your respective fields based on the applications we saw." Said Prof. Hall, eliciting wide-eyed looks of surprise from both students.

"I hope you realize," White continued, "that this means you represent the pinnacle of our hopes for this program."

"And that we expect nothing but hard work and serious dedication from the two of you." Added Hall.

"Oh yes of course," Jemma was quick to respond

"Absolutely," Fitz was right after her.

"You should be ready for working mainly with the two of us," White gestured to herself and Hall as she spoke, "and your assignments may vary from those of your classmates a bit."

Fitz and Simmons nodded and the two professors smiled.

"Very well then. You are also free to leave." Hall dismissed them and they hurried out the door.

A few weeks passed and they developed a routine. They met for breakfast, Fitz usually getting there first, then they headed to class. Their first hour was a class that all of the pairs were taking. They were assigned a problem and given the length of the period to solve it using their combined skill sets. Fitz and Simmons loved this and found that they were especially good at "tennis", or bouncing solutions back and forth until they found the best way to solve the problem with both Biochem and Engineering elements. Since they were so efficient at this they often found themselves finished long before the hour was over. Left to their own devices they sketched potential projects, designs that were in their heads that were missing an element. More often than not, they were able to fix whatever was theoretically flawed with each other's designs before they had to head to second hour. Here they split from the rest of the pairs and went to work with Professors' White and Hall. For all of second hour they worked separately. Simmons worked with White, exploring oddities or new discoveries in Biochem. Fitz worked with Hall on engineering designs and focusing on finding the most efficient way to achieve the objective. After second hour most students had the morning off until after lunch. Fitz and Simmons stayed on with White and Hall, having a general discussion for another hour, throwing out ideas or proposals and batting them around, molding them and shifting them into something possible. Once they finished there, they joined everyone else for lunch, taking part in the casual banter and small talk of their classmates. When lunch finished, all of the pairs went to what was basically a S.H.I.E.L.D. history class. The curriculum was specifically altered to incorporate the important elements of both Engineering and Biochem, rather than focusing on one. The next class was a general favorite-most of the freshman called it playtime. They were given a wide range of tools and ingredients, from high tech gadgets fresh out of the tech department to rusty pieces not used in decades and given as long as they needed to come up with something useful from the supplies. There was no specific problem to solve; you could create your own problem if you needed a target to focus on while working. The products of this class varied in success, but were always guaranteed to be interesting. After they finished their product the students wandered off to do homework or study or possibly go down early to the boiler room if they were particularly bored. Simmons and Fitz went back to White and Hall and worked on theory and technicalities of their respective fields, as well as how the theory coincided. They would go to dinner afterwards, then finish up homework and maybe watch a movie or play some games before bed. One day Professor White held them back before dinner. She looked them in the eyes and said,

"I have something for you to consider. But first, I have something to show you." She placed a sheet in front of the pair, a graph, and pointed into a spot about halfway up the graph. "This is about where the average freshman is at this point in the year." She moved her hand much closer to the end of the line. "This is currently where your skill levels are based on recent assessment." Their eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I didn't realize we were doing that much work." Jemma looked over at Fitz.

"Me either," he gave a kind of shrug, "it's just been fun."

White nodded. "I thought as much. That's why I'm recommending that you consider graduating early."

Fitz and Simmons had identical looks of shock.

"Graduate…early?" Simmons was stunned by the suggestion, and Fitz was clearly speechless.

"Yes." Said White firmly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. needs experts the likes of you working to solve the problems that just seem to be piling up in the world lately."

"How early?" Fitz finally regained control of his voice.

"At the rate you are currently progressing, you could graduate at the end of this year." More shocked silence and another shared look of uncertainty met this statement.

"I realize this is a lot to consider." White looked between them, "I just wanted to plant the seed in your head. We sorely need minds like yours and it would be a shame to waste your talents." The pair looked a bit doubtful and still slightly shell shocked. "You don't have to make any decisions now. Think and discuss and get back to me once you know what you want to do." White smiled, "and now I suggest that you get some dinner." Dismissed, Simmons and Fitz rose rather dazedly and headed for the dining hall.

The next morning Simmons was curled up in her blanket on her usual bench with a book when a shadow fell across her face. She looked up to see Fitz holding two steaming mugs of hot cocoa.

"Here," he said, handing her one, "I thought you might back a bit chilly."

She accepted the mug gratefully, feeling that slight brush of familiarity once more. "How did you know where I was?"

"I can see this bench from my window." He gestured to a second floor room in his building, "You're out here every morning."

"It's peaceful. I like it." She took a sip of cocoa. "So...what do you think about White's proposal?"

A conflicted look came over Fitz's face, "In a way it makes sense. I'm not desperate to spend all four years here and the work load is not heavy. But at the same time..."

"...you want the full Academy experience." Simmons nodded. "I guess we have to weigh that against everything else."

Fitz nodded, but didn't say anything. They finished their cocoa in silence, watching the sun finish rising.

The next day they beat their professors to second hour and were all set up before Hall and White walked in.

"You're early today Fitzsimmons." As soon as the words were out Hall clamped his hand over his mouth. White gave him a what-did-I-say look and rolled her eyes. At first Fitz and Simmons had slightly confused looks while they processed what Hall had said. Finally they just gave a little shrug and laughed.

"Sorry about that." Said Hall, a deep red blush creeping up his neck.

"It's fine, actually..." said Simmons with a small glance at Fitz.

"Yeah that actually...works." Fitz spoke with mild surprise and gave a smile to the professors, who still looked terribly embarrassed.

"We are a team, aren't we?" Simmons gave a grin to Fitz. The two of them turned back to their desks and continued working. White and Hall shared a look and a small smile, then they also headed to their desks.

They sat in White's office a few days later, having made a decision.

"We would like to go along with the early graduation plan." Jemma spoke for the pair while Fitz nodded in agreement. Professor White nodded and clapped her hands together.

"Excellent. I have a task here for you, just something we had prepared in case you decided to take this track." She handed each of them a folder labeled **Fitzsimmons Field Exercise**. The name had sort of stuck since Hall first let it slip and more of the professors had started to use it. The pair didn't mind. They were almost always in the same place and they always worked together so it seemed fitting enough.

"This is a problem that arose for a group in the field." White paused, then said, "I'm not going to tell you the outcome of the situation and whether they succeeded or not until you finish."

"How long do we have?" asked Fitz

"As long as you need." White replied, "I'm excusing you from all of your other classes. I want you to be working on this 24/7 until you have an answer."

Simmons raised her eyebrows. "Won't we fall behind?"

It was Fitz who gave her a look and said, "We can catch up Simmons. This is obviously important. I think you can handle some time without homework." At this, Simmons gave him a pouty face and poked him, to which he stuck his tongue out at her. Their moment of childish display passed and they turned all smiles to Professor White.

"We'll get started right away." Jemma said.

"Fabulous." White nodded and the pair rose and left.

They settled down in the lab they had claimed as their own. It wasn't like SciOps had any shortage of lab space and they were always in the lab anyway. Together they scanned the files White had given them.

"So basically we have to figure out how to get the motor to be powerful enough with these materials," Fitz read and pointed to the material list, "and it has to be small."

"It also has to be able to be powered by one of these materials," Jemma noted glancing down the other materials list, "none of which are very common." Fitz nodded, then looked up.

"So I'll start in on the motor and you look at the fuel then?"

"Sounds like a plan." The two of them split off to their separate areas in the lab and got to work. Jemma set up a sample for her microscope and focused the lens.

"Let's see what we have here..." She muttered to herself, twisting the fine adjustment a bit. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil and began sketching and noting some details. Fitz had laid out the pieces he had to work with on one of the tables and was tapping his chin.

"Think, Fitz, think!" He stopped tapping and wrapped his hand around his chin instead. Then his eyes lit up and he quickly began tinkering with one of the larger, clunky looking pieces. He took a small metal cylinder and pushed it into the larger piece, then set it aside and began widening the hole where he had tested the cylinder.

"Maybe this...no, no can't use that...what about..." Fitz murmured to himself while he was working. Thinking through the problem out loud helped him concentrate.

A few hours later, Jemma had detailed, colored sketched of each possible fuel source and was staring intently at her drawings. Fitz had bolted together the large clunky piece and a few smaller, intricate pieces into something that could be construed as a motor with a bit of imagination. He was currently screwing another piece onto the mass of metal. Jemma poked at a couple spots on her drawings and her whole face lit up.

"I'll have to mix them." She looked over at Fitz.

"What?" He looked up for a second, then went back to his machine.

"Each of the substances has a different molecular shape, which means that they were built with different proteins and if I can isolate which protein is in each one then I can figure out the most effective fuel source."

Fitz pulled a screwdriver from between his teeth, "Then why do you have to mix them?"

"Look at the numbers," Simmons scanned the materials list again, "there isn't enough of any one substance to power any sort of motor for long enough."

"Oh. Right." Fitz hadn't actually looked at the fuel source list in the first place. "Well I think I can make a functioning motor out of this"-he gestured to the piles of scraps-"I just need to polish some of it up and shave a few pieces down to the right size so they fit." Simmons nodded absentmindedly, her focus already returning to protein structure.


	2. Pass or Fail

They worked non-stop for 2 days until they found the perfect solution. They sent for Professor White to review their design and she stood in front of their work table examining their finished product. She clapped her hands together, looking thrilled. "Excellent! And you finished quite quickly, very impressive." She graced them with a sincere smile. "Why don't you two take some time in the dorms and the you can come to my office for a debrief." "Certainly." Said Simmons with Fitz nodding in agreement. White gathered up the design sheets and followed the team out. Back in the 200's Simmons had put on a pair of comfy jeans and a purple sweater. She had curled up on her bed with her blanket and a book when there was a quiet tapping on her door. "It's open!" She called a little absentmindedly, already sinking into the world of her book. The door opened and she saw Fitz standing there with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa. Jemma smiled and scooted up to make room for Fitz as he walked in. He sat down and handed her one of the mugs. The hot cocoa had sort of become their thing, a tradition. There was something comforting about it, a familiarity neither of them could quite place. Fitz pulled half the blanket around himself and asked, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Simmons gave a small smile. "It feels as though it has come up so quickly this year. I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. yet." Or you, Fitz, she added silently to herself. "I'm afraid I've developed a British accent in the past couple months and my Scottish brethren are going to turn me away." Fitz said teasingly with a grin. Jemma gave him a playful punch. "I suppose I'm at just as much a risk of talking like a Scot!" She returned. Fitz laughed. "It is gonna be weird though. To be back in the real world." Jemma nodded in agreement. They both slurped up the last drops of their cocoa and Simmons glanced over at the clock. "I suppose we better be getting down to Whites office." Reluctance to leave their comfortable nest tinged her responsible statement. "Yeah...I suppose so." Fitz too had a note of regret at the thought of leaving. They both sighed and stretched before heading out of the dorms. Both White and Hall were waiting for Fitzsimmons when they arrived at the office. Jemma and Leo sat down in the chairs across from their professors. White spoke first. "So we told you that this particular exercise was something a team actually faced in the field." Fitz and Simmons nodded. "What we didn't tell you, " said Hall, "is that the team that faced this issue is in the field currently, unable to solve the problem." Shock was reflected on both the students' faces, their eyes wide at this revelation. "We didn't want to pressure, or worry you." White spoke again, "but your final solution probably saved the lives of an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. team. We just sent them the designs." "Woah..." Fitz said while Simmons simply nodded, speechless. "I'd say you passed with flying colors." A grin like that of a proud father decorated Hall's face and White beamed in agreement. "I think you deserve a little break," said White, "so why don't you take these last couple days before Christmas Break off?" "That sounds just fine." Fitz was smiling now, the significance of their accomplishment finally registering with him. "Thank you." Jemma finally recovered enough to be able to speak and now wore a grin identical to Fitz's. "Well go on then!" White shooed them out, "don't waste your free time!" Fitz and Simmons flew joyfully from the office like children told that they could go out and play. 


	3. Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

Time passed faster than either of them could imagine and soon they woke to find the campus covered in a fresh layer of snow. Fitz was outside a soon as he saw the white world, romping through the mounds like a five year old. He snuck over to the yard outside the 200's and formed a snowball in his hands. Taking careful aim he tossed it at the window he knew was Jemma's.

Jemma rolled over in her cocoon of blankets, squinting at the bright daylight that filled the room.

_Thump!_

She jumped, startled as something collided with her window. _What on earth is Fitz doing now? _she thought, pushing herself out of her nest. Keeping two of her blankets tucked around her shoulders she pushed open the window, only to be smacked in the face with something cold, white, and icy.

"Oh!" She cried out startled, blinking so that she could refocus on the figure below her window.

"Ohmygosh Jemma I am so sorry, are you okay?" Panic filled Fitz's tone and face, especially when he saw the serious angry look Simmons was giving him. Just as his whole body slumped in guilt Jemma couldn't keep a straight face anymore and she collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"Next time, Fitz," she managed to compose herself long enough to say, "why don't you just come knock?" She dissolved back into giggles and Fitz joined her nervously, their laughter echoing across the courtyard. Jemma waved Fitz inside and shut the window, still smiling as she grabbed a towel and dried off her face. She was straightening the tangle of pillows and quilts on her bed when Fitz tapped on the door.

"It's open!" She called and he opened it, and looked at her, apology still on his face.

"I am so sorry Simmons, I didn't see you open the window and-"

"It's fine Fitz, really." Jemma cut him off with a smile, "I have a couple brothers. This isn't the first time I've been hit with a snowball." Fitz smiled a bit at that and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well you're certainly ready to leave." He remarked somberly, taking in the bare shelves and the emptied closet.

"It's just a couple weeks, Fitz." said Simmons, hearing the note of sorrow in his voice. She smiled at him. "A few weeks and we'll be back to the daily routine." He nodded, mollified for the moment. Then a sneaky grin crept across his face when he spotted her puffy winter coat lying on the dresser. She followed his gaze and guessed they were both thinking along the same lines.

"15 minutes." She said looking at him. He nodded and ran out the door.

"My advantage!" He called over his shoulder, laughing. Jemma shook her head and began tugging on her snow clothes. After she had bundled herself up she grabbed an extra hat for Fitz. _Even all of his curly hair won't keep him warm in this weather. _She chuckled softly to herself then hurried outside after her friend.

Several hours later they found themselves lying exhausted on the snow covered ground. All around them lay the remains of a snowball fight-which Fitz _swore _he had won-and several snow creations. They had built the TARDIS and a snow doctor to go with it, along with a mini snow Hogwarts. They were laughing at something Fitz had just said when a shiver snaked through Simmons' body. She did her best to mask it with a smile, but Fitz saw right through her.

"Alright, c'mon." he pushed himself up off the ground and offered her a hand. "What do you say we go get ourselves some cocoa?" As much as she wanted to stay outside, Simmons conceded that a hot drink would be nice. She took Fitz's mitten-covered hand and pulled herself up. She brushed some snow from the few curls that stuck out of his beanie and the pair headed to the dining hall.


	4. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

_She was standing on the train platform, a giant trunk in hand. The young woman looked a bit lost and lonely. She glanced around at all the unfamiliar American structures. It was her first time outside of Great Britain. She looked down at her ticket. She hadn't been assigned a compartment, just a car-number 26. She started off for the other end of the train, struggling under the weight of her trunk. Thankfully, she was able to make it to her destination, the luggage car, without any major mishaps. Looking up at the rack she inwardly groaned. The only open spaces were on the top row. She wrapped her skinny arms around the trunk and started to lift. She pushed it over her head, but quite honestly, she wasn't the most athletic. Her heartbeat quickened when she felt the case start to slip, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. It was about to fall completely when two new hands caught it._

_"__Need some help?"_

Jemma blinked into the darkness. She rolled over and squinted at her alarm clock. _One in the morning. _She slumped back against her pillows. They didn't have to be on the train until two in the afternoon so she could afford to sleep in. She closed her eyes and let the fuzzy blackness overtake her.

_She blushed bright red as the boy set her trunk down safely._

_"__Thank you." She mumbled quietly, not quite making eye contact. He smiled._

_"__It's no problem. Here, let me help you get it on the rack." He spoke with a heavy Scottish accent, but it was clear enough to understand. They lifted the trunk together and slid it into one of the open slots. He gave her the sweetest smile she had seen in a long time. This time she cautiously returned it with a small one of her own._

_"__Thank you." She said once more, quietly. She gave a small wave, then turned her back on the boy and boarded the train._

_The boy watched her go. She seemed so desolate, travelling by herself. He wondered if he would see her on the train. He was sure she was full of interesting stories-most quiet people were after all, if you only stopped to listen. Where was she going, he wondered, and why? From the few softly spoken words she had given him he had noted a British accent. I wonder if she watches Doctor Who, he thought subconsciously. He gave his head a little shake to refocus, sending his messy curly hair into a flurry. He lifted his own trunk up onto the rack next to the British girl's and stepped up into the train car._

Fitz opened his eyes, half expecting to see a train station. He squinted a little and blinked, pulling himself back into the present day. He rolled his head to the side and saw that there was no light coming in from the window-it was still pitch black outside. Relieved that he didn't have to get up yet, Fitz pulled his blanket up a little higher and snuggled down as sleep pulled him under again.

_The boy's first glance around the train car revealed nothing, so he took a seat near the compartment door. He pulled out his notebook and flipped to his latest design-an updated spectrometer. The boy immersed himself in his design as the train lurched out of the station._

_The girl curled into her window seat. She had a book propped against the table but she was currently staring out at the passing countryside. There was a crack in the window seal that let in a tiny stream of bitterly cold air. She shivered, wishing she hadn't left her extra coat in her trunk. She wrapped her arms around her waist and turned back to her book, flipping the page with a pale hand._

_"You look like you could use some warmin' up."_

This time Jemma woke up shivering. She rubbed her hands over her arms and pulled the blankets back up. Her alarm clock told her it was four am. She let her mind drift back on her dream. It was familiar, but it had been a long time since the boy from the train had crossed her mind. She smiled fondly at the memory as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

_About halfway through the journey the boy looked up from his notebook. The car had emptied considerably and now he could properly see the remaining occupants. Towards the middle of the car he saw the one person he hadn't realized he was looking for. He watched the girl shiver in her seat, then he pushed up out of his chair and went to the concession car. _

_The girl looked up and found herself face to face with the boy from the luggage car. _

_"Do you mind?" He asked shyly, gesturing to the seat across from the girl. She shook her head and he sat down, sliding a steaming mug over to her. She gratefully wrapped her hands around it, flinching slightly at the heat._

_"Thank you." She spoke softly still, not quite looking at him. _

_"So, where are you off to?" He asked kindly, offering her a sweet smile when she looked up._

_"College." She smiled tentatively in return, then took a small sip of cocoa._

_"That's me as well." He looked out the window, "which are you attending?" _

_"I'm starting at Harvard. What about you?"_

_"I'm heading to MIT." She nodded and took another sip of her drink. _

_"That's nice."_

_The boy was already taken with the quiet girl across from him. Her simple brown hair fell down in front of her chocolate eyes. For the moment her mouth was a straight line but he loved the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. He asked her a few more questions, drawing her out of her shell little by little. He glanced down and his eyes widened when he saw the book that she had been reading before he sat down._

_"__You like Harry Potter?"_

A loud set of footsteps clomping past his door woke Fitz. He blinked groggily, his brain refocusing on reality after being so suddenly jerked out of the past. Once he had resettled he thought back on the quiet girl from the train. That had probably been the best train ride he had ever been on. His already weak memory of her British accent was fading rapidly. _I guess that's what happens when you don't see someone for four and a half years_, thought Fitz sadly. He felt a knot of regret and sadness settle in his stomach. _I definitely messed that one up_, he thought as he drifted back off to sleep.

_The girl glanced down at the book in front of her and grinned, her whole face glowing. _

_"__Ever since I was a little girl." She answered, speaking at a normal volume for the first time. "I always liked to imagine that I belonged at Hogwarts, rather than at my primary school." She looked away, embarrassed to have admitted her childish wish, but the boy simply smiled._

_"__I used to think the same thing." He said, "The trio was always better friends to me than any of my classmates." The girl nodded, then dared to ask her own question. _

_"__Do you watch any TV shows?" This time it was the boy's face that lit up with excitement._

_"__My whole family watches Doctor Who." The girl felt her grin extend to her ears as her own excitement grew to match his. They passed the train ride together, talking about books and TV shows, comparing theories about what would happen in the next season. Too soon a voice rang out over the intercom and the girl looked down at her ticket._

_"__This is my stop."_

_The words just about broke the boy's heart. He tried not to look too disappointed. He was surprised to see that she too looked reluctant to leave. But she closed her book and slid it into her bag._

_"__You better let me help you get your trunk." He said to her teasingly. She blushed but smiled at the memory of their meeting. The train lurched to a halt and the pair stepped out to the luggage car. He reached up and pulled out her large red trunk, setting it down gently next to her on the platform. _

_"__Well…I guess this is good-bye then." He knew they probably wouldn't meet again. She looked sad at his words, but she nodded. She knew the odds as well as he did. _

_"__Thank you…for everything." She seemed genuinely grateful, just for his short friendship. He grinned._

_"__My pleasure." He glanced over at where the train attendant was waving passengers back on. "I guess that's my cue to go." _

_The girl nodded. "Go on then." With a final wave, the boy turned his back and boarded the train. He was too far away to see the tears forming in the girl's eyes as her first friend in this new world walked away._

_It wasn't until the train had pulled away that they both realized they never asked for each other's names._

Tears were in Fitz's eyes when he opened them. The sadness was always there at the end of that dream. The terrible regret for letting such a good friend go, never to be found again. Even though he had searched the train every year when he went home to Scotland, he had seen no trace of the sweet smiling, brown-eyed girl and it broke his heart. It might seem irrational to many, but as someone who had always felt isolated because of his high intellect, Fitz valued each and every friend that accepted him and it killed him that he had let one get away. He checked the clock. _Seven's an acceptable time to be up_, he decided. He didn't particularly feel like going back to his dreams at the moment anyway. _Maybe I'll see her this year_. He shook his head, but couldn't help the tiny blossom of hope in his chest.

When Jemma stirred, a single tear had traced its way down her cheek. She would never really forget the curly-haired boy on the train. He had been her first pleasant memory of America, something comforting when she had been so very lost. She had checked every train car she had ridden back to England, hoping to see her nameless friend coming down the aisle, but she was always disappointed. _I should probably get up_, she thought, stretching. There was light coming through the window now, landing on her bare floor. _I wonder if he'll be on the train this year_, mused Jemma as she pushed herself out from under the covers. Despite the rational part of her brain that told her he wouldn't be, a small spark of hope glowed inside her.


	5. A Meeting With A Memory

**Thanks so so so much to all the wonderful people who post reviews-it's nice to know that somewhere out there someone likes what I'm writing! Hope you enjoy the next installment! ****J**

Fitz and Simmons shared a quiet breakfast, each lost in their own thoughts, attempting a half-hearted conversation. Once Fitz had downed the last round of S.H.I.E.L.D. pancakes he would get in a while the two parted ways to do some final packing. Jemma, who had already triple checked her trunk was sitting on her window seat, staring out at the frosty outdoors. Fitz, on the other hand, was running around his room, scrambling to get every last one of his belongings into his suitcase. They had planned to meet around one thirty on the quad and it was no surprise to Jemma when she showed up first, dressed in simple dark jeans and navy blue converse with a fitted black t-shirt under a nice brown jacket. Fitz came running up a few minutes later, smiling and slightly out of breath. He was wearing jeans and a maroon sweater.

"Shall we go then?" Fitz nodded and the pair set off, chatting as though it was just another day of classes. They ignored the fact that in a few short hours they would be parting for pretty much the first time since they had collided at the beginning of the year. They let a caddy load their luggage into the nondescript Academy car that would take them to the train station. Fitz opened the door and followed Jemma into the backseat. The long line of black cars filed out of the campus gates. Both Jemma and Fitz watched out the back window as the place they had come to call home disappeared from view. After they had rounded the curve their conversation turned to how their families celebrated Christmas.

"Mum and my sisters and me, we would always make popcorn balls to hang on the tree but little Becky always ate her popcorn so we were always one short and the tree ended up lopsided." Jemma recalled fondly, smiling at the thought of her littlest sister, ten years younger than Jemma. Fitz grinned.

"Me and my little sister Carrie, we would help Mum decorate sugar cookies and Dad and Uncle Lewis would come in from chopping up firewood and they would send my older brother Marcus out to tote all the logs in while they warmed up." They laughed when they talked of how Fitz would simply shred his wrapping paper while Jemma carefully peeled off the tape and neatly folded the wrappings. Too soon their driver told them that they were at the train station. They dragged their luggage behind them through the station until they found the correct platform and made it to the luggage car. They both looked at the racks and Fitz laughed at Jemma's pouty face when they saw that only top rack spots were open. Stubborn as ever, Simmons started to lift her trunk. Fitz sighed and rolled his eyes at her, quickly grabbing the other end of her trunk before it could fall and break her toe or something. He felt a sense of déjà vu stir in his brain and, staring with intensity at the trunk he was lifting, the reason for it hit him: _it was the same trunk from his dream. _The gold accents were peeling away and the navy blue fabric had faded, but it was definitely the same. _But that means..._Fitz turned his head and looked at Simmons, who was totally oblivious to his epiphany. _I found her after all, _Fitz grinned widely.

"You know Simmons, it wouldn't hurt you to ask for help every now and then." She sent him a mock glare.

"I don't usually need help lifting my trunk, Fitz."

"That's not how I remember it," Fitz said mischievously, waiting for her to catch on. _I wonder if she even remembers. _Simmons raised her eyebrows at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She gave him a questioning look. "For your information, the only other time I've needed help was years ago, and that was way before I met you so how..." She let the sentence trail off as last night's dream resurfaced in her mind and she looked at Fitz with new eyes, seeing his curly hair for the first time and hearing his Scottish accent all over again. She gasped.

"No way!" Fitz's grin grew wider than he had thought possible as he nodded. Jemma just stared for a second, wonder and amazement written all over her face , then she grinned and flung her arms around Fitz. He seemed a bit surprised but returned her hug hesitantly.

"I looked for you," She said as she pulled back, "every year, but you weren't ever there."

"I did the same." Fitz gave her a cheeky grin, "I was always looking for my little British friend. I guess we just ended up on different lines." Simmons nodded in agreement and continues beaming, not entirely sure what to say.

"Come on," Fitz motioned to the steps that led to the train car, "let's go find our seats." The pair boarded the train, still glowing in the light of their revelation.

Sitting next to Fitz, Simmons marveled at how different this train ride was from the last time they had ridden the rails together. _What are the odds?_ She thought, shaking her head in amazed disbelief, _I can't believe I found him again. _She paused, _well actually, I suppose _he _found _me_ more so. _She still couldn't believe she hadn't recognized him. _Then again, _she told herself, _it had been four years and you hadn't thought about it in ages._ She contented herself with that and turned to Fitz, who had pulled out a deck of cards. Simmons smiled when she saw that they were decorated like the time vortex from Doctor Who.

"Wanna play a game?" asked Fitz, already opening the pack.

"Sure," said Simmons, "why not?" In no time they were deeply immersed in a game of Go Fish. Yes, they both knew it was a child's game, but then again they both loved to let their inner kid out more than they let on, so it was still a fun pastime. About halfway through their third round Fitz looked down the aisle of the train car, turned to Simmons, and said,

"I'll be right back. Don't move an inch." He was up and out of his seat before she could answer. She hummed randomly to herself until she looked up and saw Fitz holding two mugs full of hot cocoa. An earsplitting grin broke out on her face.

"You remembered!" she exclaimed, gratefully taking one of the mugs.

"How could I forget?" asked Fitz, sliding back into his seat, "You were so pale and shivery I almost thought you were ill." His smile was slightly teasing as they both slurped some of their cocoa.

"_Now _it's a perfect train ride." Said Simmons, smiling a smile that lit up her eyes.

"Your move." Fitz responded cheerfully, returning to the card game. They passed the remainder of the journey that way, drinking hot cocoa and playing Go Fish until Jemma glanced down at her ticket and then up at Fitz with suddenly sad eyes.

"My stop is next."


	6. Meet the Family

Fitz's face fell at Jemma's statement, but he sighed and started gathering up the cards that were strewn over the table. They stood, leaving their empty mugs and headed to the compartment door. The train whistle blew and the wheels screeched against the rails as the train lurched to a stop. Crowds spilled out of the cars and they swept Jemma and Leo with them. They were silent in the uproar around them as they shuffled up to the luggage car. Without even asking, Leo reached up and lifted down Jemma's trunk.

"Thanks." She said sweetly, taking the handle from him. She saw a small group of people standing at the edge of the platform. With a glance at the clock, she grabbed Fitz's arm.

"Come on, you have a little while before the train leaves. Come meet my family." Before he could protest, she was dragging him behind her with her suitcase. A few feet away from the gaggle of people Jemma dropped both her suitcase and Fitz's arm and threw herself into a hug with the two older people in the group. The man was about average height with brown hair that was hiding a few gray strands. He had blue-gray eyes behind a pair of wire-frame glasses. The woman was just on the shorter side with natural blond hair that fell just beyond her shoulders. Her eyes mirrored the ones Fitz had become accustomed to seeing on the face of his partner. When Jemma pulled out of the embrace she turned to Fitz and motioned him forward.

"Mum, Dad, this is Leopold Fitz. He's my lab partner." The couple turned warm smiles on Leo and he could immediately see where Jemma got her dazzling grins from.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Simmons." Fitz said politely.

"Sweetheart, just call us Carl and Laura, no need for these formalities."

"Yes, Jemma's told us all about you, we feel as if we know you quite well already," added Jemma's dad, winking at his daughter and causing Jemma to blush and look down at her feet.

"And who are these little ones?" Inquired Fitz, saving Jemma from her embarrassment. The oldest of the four girls looked to be about fourteen, but what struck Fitz the most was that she was the spitting image of Jemma. She had the same slight build and dark brown eyes. Her hair was just a couple inches shorter, but it was the same color. She smiled brightly.

"I'm Rebecca," she said. Jemma reached over and wrapped her sister into a hug. _They're quite close, aren't they?_ Fitz looked down to see three more little faces peering up at him with curious eyes

"This is Lucy." Jemma said over Rebecca's head, pointing to the one girl who was slightly taller than the other two. "She's seven." Her hair was thin and brown and fell in little wisps around her chin and ears. Her bright blue eyes lit up when Jemma said her name and she smiled a goofy little grin. Fitz chuckled a little when he saw her two front teeth were missing.

"And those two rascals over there are Angela and Sarah." The two youngest were the spitting image of their mother with blond hair that hung in ringlets down to their shoulders and big brown eyes that looked wonderingly up at Fitz. _Twins? _Fitz mouthed at Jemma, who nodded, "Four year olds." Fitz's eyes widened at the thought of having to handle two four year old girls at the same time, drawing a chortle from Jemma's dad.

"Sweetie, we were looking at getting a bite to eat just over there," said Laura, gesturing to a small cafe.

"Wanna come?" Jemma asked Leo. He looked at the clock and debated for a minute.

"Alright," Fitz decided, "I guess I have enough time." The smile that broke out on Jemma's face was definitely worth it. She reached down and scooped up Lucy, who gave a small shriek of joy and the group headed off to the cafe.

No one was really bothering to keep track of the time, so Fitz practically fell out of his seat when he heard the whistle, signaling the departure of the train. He scrambled to the window, a slightly devastated expression forming on his face as he watched the train pull away, taking his suitcase and his ride home away with it. Jemma jumped up from the table and ran over to his side, resting a hand on his arm.

"Oh goodness..." She said softly, watching the train with him for a moment, "I'm so sorry, Fitz. We should have been watching the time."

"Come on, kids." Carl called over his shoulder to the three at the table, coming to stand next to Jemma and Leo.

"Why don't we check and see if there's another train coming through later?" suggested Laura. Fitz nodded mutely and followed the family out of the cafe.

"I should probably text my parents," Fitz muttered, pulling out his phone as they made their way over to the ticket window. After sending a quick message to his mother, Fitz explained his predicament to the attendant on duty, who told him that, unfortunately, the next train didn't run until tomorrow afternoon.

"You'll just have to stay with us for the night," said Jemma, trying rather unsuccessfully to conceal her joy at this prospect. Fitz had just opened his mouth to protest when Jemma's mother cut him off.

"I insist." She said sternly, "As if we would abandon you to a hotel." She snorted, like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Fitz surrendered to the two women.

"Thank you." His phone buzzed in his hand and he looked down to see what his mother had to say. Suddenly, Jemma's face brightened with an idea and she leaned over and whispered in her mom's ear.

"Hmmm…." Laura considered what her daughter had said, then turned and quietly consulted her husband. Fitz looked up from his phone and sent Jemma a questioning look but she just shook her head, watching her parents expectantly. Her father kinda shrugged an ok and Jemma's whole face lit up as she clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Jemma, what is it?" Fitz demanded, curiosity burning through his voice.

"How do you feel about maybe just spending vacation here?" She looked hopeful and continued, "I mean, you're already here and everything and we can get your trunk back and-"

"Jemma!" Fitz cut her off. "Slow down! One question at a time, okay?" He grinned at her, "and I would love to spend vacation here," Simmons smile widened, "but," Fitz continued, causing Jemma's newfound happiness to falter, "I don't want to be a nuisance or cause you any trouble." Laura and Carl snorted in unison when he said that.

"Honey," Laura gave him a look, "we have five children and four of them are girls. I think that you would be the least of our worries."

"Five?" Fitz looked down and did a quick count, triggering a giggle from Jemma.

"My brother Patrick," she explained. "He's a freshman at Penn State and they haven't let out for break yet, so that's why he isn't here."

"Got it." Said Fitz, an aha look passing over his face.

"So," Simmons fixed him with a stare, "staying?" Fitz pretended to consider it some more until she gave him a mock punch in the shoulder.

"I suppose if it isn't too much trouble, I would love to stay."

"Yay!" Jemma exclaimed, clapping her hands together again.

"Let me just call my mom and talk to her to clear things up." Fitz started dialing up the number.

"While you're doing that, why don't we go see what we can do about your suitcase?" proposed Carl. Laura nodded and Fitz mouthed them a thank you, his phone already pressed to his ear.

"Mom?" Fitz said when she answered, "Listen, Jemma invited me to spend our break at her house with her family-" He sighed as he listened to her response.

"Yes Mom, I know, but I'm already here and they were kind enough to offer so I think I'm going to stay." He listened to her again, nodding a couple time with a few grunts of agreement.

"Absolutely. Tell everyone I love them and I'll call again in a couple days. Love you to Mom. Bye." He hung up and beamed at Simmons.

"Success."

"C'mon then," responded Simmons, "Let's go see what they've managed to do about your luggage."

Thankfully, Laura and Carl had been able to work out a deal with the train company and Fitz's bag would be brought to their house as soon as it arrived back here, which should be sometime later tonight. With that settled, the whole family, plus Fitz, set off for home.


	7. Lord Help The Mister

**Hello Everyone! Sorry this update is so long in coming...I have an AP test coming up and about a hundred other things that I'm working on but I hope you won't be disappointed by the wonderful(and not so wonderful, depending on how you look at it) things that happen in this chapter. Also, to MapleCandys, you say Fitz has all the bad luck? I guess I'll just have to change that...*cue evil laugh* Enjoy and thank you guys for all of your feedback!**

* * *

"Leeeeeeooooooo!" Fitz rolled over at the sound of his name being hollered up the stairs.

"Becky, I told you to go wake him up. If I wanted you to yell up the stairs I would have done it myself." Fitz grinned as Jemma's reprimand floated up the stairs. A few seconds later there was tapping on his door.

"Leo, Jemma's made pancakes and she said if you want any you need to get down there quick before the kids eat them all."

"Thanks, Becky," Fitz pushed the covers off and padded over to his closet. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy t-shirt. In a futile attempt he dragged a comb through his unruly curls then he hurried downstairs. The kitchen was a center of chaos but Fitz simply smiled-he had come to expect it. Lucy, Angela, and Sarah were all sitting at the table chattering loudly and banging their silverware. Rebecca was flitting around the kitchen, helping Jemma put the finishing touches on the pancakes. Jemma herself was standing over the griddle, spatula in hand. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a pair of gray sweats and a black tank top. Fitz looked back to the table and quickly rescued the syrup bottle from the hands of Angela.

"I don't think your Mum would appreciate a sticky floor, Ang," said Leo. Jemma turned around at the sound of his voice.

"Morning Fitz!" She said brightly.

"Watch out Jemma!" Cried Becky. Jemma spun back to the griddle.

"Oh!" She quickly slipped her spatula under one of the pancakes and flipped it over, revealing a very darkened underside. She blushed, turning back to Fitz.

"Would you mind getting juice for the girls?"

"Sure, no problem," said Fitz, grabbing the juice carton from the fridge. He poured a cup for each of them and set them on the table. Becky came over from the kitchen bearing a plate stacked high with fluffy pancakes while Jemma set the griddle aside to cool. The kids squealed with delight as Jemma took the spatula and slipped a pancake on to each of their plates. Fitz smiled a thank you when she did the same for him and they all dug into the syrupy goodness. Twenty minutes later Fitz looked up from an empty plate with a smile on his face.

"So what're we doing today?" Jemma smiled.

"We have the day off," she said happily, "Becky's gonna watch the little ones. I was thinking maybe we could go window shopping?"

"Why not," Fitz agreed readily. He had spent a lot of time with Lucy and the twins in the week that he had been at the Simmons' house and he absolutely loved them to death, but he was also ready to get out of the house for a bit. He stood and grabbed his dishes.

"You go upstairs and get ready Jem, Becky and I can do the dishes." Becky nodded and Jemma stretched her arms up.

"Alright, if you're sure,"

"We can do it Jemma," Becky gave her older sister a push and then grabbed a towel.

"You wash, I'll dry," she told Fitz.

"Yes ma'am," Fitz replied with a wink, pulling the dish soap from under the sink. They made short work of the pile of dishes. Becky reached up and set the last plate in the cabinet. Fitz dried off his hands and stepped over to where the three young ones were still sitting at the table.

"C'mon Angie," he said lifting the first twin out of her high chair and resting her against his hip.

"You too, Sarah-Bear," he tickled the other four-year-old under the chin, then scooped her up while she was in a fit of giggles. Fitz left Lucy in Becky's care and headed upstairs. Jemma was just stepping out of her room, now wearing skinny jeans and a dark blue sweater with a black puffy coat hanging on her arm.

"Here," she motioned for the twins and Fitz handed them over.

"I'll be ready in just a mo'," Fitz promised, just catching Jemma's nod before he disappeared into his room. He emerged a few minutes later, still wearing jeans, but with a long sleeved polo on top and his own version of Jemma's puffy coat, along with a black beanie to keep his ears warm. Jemma was just finishing a mini-lecture to the kids when he arrived down in the entryway.

"...and don't eat all the cookies, Mum and Dad will want some. Becky make sure if you go outside that they all have gloves on and..." she paused, "alright I think that's everything." She turned to Fitz, "Ready?"

"Yup," he looked down at the kids, "you guys be good for Becky now, got it?" With three nods and 'uh-huh's' Leo and Jemma stepped out into the snow covered world.

* * *

A few hours later the pair was chilled to the bone and sporting cherry red noses. Fitz was burdened with all the presents they had bought for the kids. _So much for window shopping, _he thought. But he didn't really mind, not if it meant he got to spend a lovely day out with Simmons. He looked around the square they were standing in and spotted a tiny cafe squished between some tourist trap shops. He tapped Jemma and pointed toward it. She nodded and they hurried toward the blessed warmth. Jemma went toward a table, unwrapping her scarf, while Fitz went to order their drinks. He came back to the table, two hot cocoas in hand. Neither of them was particularly fond of coffee and they both not-so-secretly loved the memories that had been made over mugs of hot cocoa. This time though, Simmons was in for a surprise. Fitz grinned when she took her first sip and her eyes widened with shock.

"Cinnamon hot chocolate!" She exclaimed, smiling widely. Fitz beamed back at her.

"It sounded pretty good so I thought we should try it." Jemma had just opened her mouth to reply when her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and sighed.

"Should've known out peace wouldn't last very long." She flipped open the phone and answered Becky's call.

"Jemma? You need to come back."

"Becky? What's wrong?" Fitz was alarmed by the panic on Jemma's face.

"Just come back Jemma, please you need to come back!" Becky was scared and desperate. Jemma stood quickly and pulled her coat on.

"We're on our-" The line went dead. Fitz and Simmons locked eyes.

"We need to go, now," said Simmons. Fitz didn't question her, just followed her out, leaving their drinks abandoned in the cafe.

* * *

The front door was wide open when they made it back to the house. Jemma ran inside, Fitz right on her heels. The place had been ransacked and their belongings strewn about the floor. Whoever had been here was looking for something.

"Becky?!" Yelled Jemma, fear filling her voice. Her cry echoed through the empty halls.

"Rebecca?!" Jemma took off up the stairs pulling open doors and looking in rooms, even though they both knew that Rebecca would have answered them already if she was able to.

"Jemma?" A timid, scared voice sounded from down the hall. Jemma ripped open the door to the towel closet to find Lucy and the twins crouched inside, cleverly tucked beneath several stacks of towels.

"Oh thank goodness," Jemma grabbed Lucy, who was immediately pulled into Fitz's arms, then eased the twins out.

"What happened? Where's Becky?" Asked Jemma.

"She thaid there were bad men...that we had to thay in the clothet and be very, very, quiet. She thaid not to come out unleth it wath you or Mommy or Daddy," Lucy's lisp was very prominent in her distress and she whimpered, pressing her face into Fitz's shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie, I've got you," Fitz rubbed comforting circles on Lucy's back. He looked at Jemma and saw his own fear mirrored tenfold in her eyes. He was just about to say that they needed to call the police when Jemma's phone rang. They all jumped at the sound and Jemma quickly fumbled to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jemma Simmons?" A man's voice, calm and soothing came over the line.

"Yes..." Jemma answered cautiously.

"My name is Phil Coulson. I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. We got word of an incident in your vicinity."

"How is that possible? We just discovered the incident ourselves, nobody's had time to report it." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Well Miss Simmons, you have one damn intelligent girl for a sister."


	8. Who Comes Between Me and My Sister

An hour later, the Simmons household was swimming with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Jemma and Leo kept a tight hold on Lucy and the twins through the hullabaloo, until they started to get squirmy and finally Jemma and Leo set them down and pushed them in the direction of the kitchen, which was in the center of the house and probably the safest room in the building right now, given the security surrounding the entire house. A man of average height with light brown hair and a pair of dark sunglasses on came through the front door and approached the two scientists.

"Fitzsimmons?" he asked. Jemma and Leo nodded, glancing at each other. Apparently their little nickname had become common S.H.I.E.L.D. knowledge. The man pulled off his sunglasses to reveal a pair of light colored eyes.

"I've heard some good things about the both of you from Professors' Hall and White," the man told them, "I'm Agent Coulson; I believe we spoke on the phone."_ Finally, _thought Jemma, _now we can get some answers._

"I'm sure you have many questions-" Jemma cut off the agent.

"Yes, starting with why is there an entire battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents swarming my house?" demanded Jemma, "I know that this isn't protocol."

"Why is S.H.I.E.L.D. even getting involved in a civilian kidnapping anyway?" Fitz chipped in.

"Because that civilian managed to hack into a highly encoded S.H.I.E.L.D. database and implant a code repeatedly spelling 'shield' and when our engineering staff opened the coding they found a message," Coulson said sharply, looking between the two of them, "all it said was 'Rebecca Simmons; been taken'" Jemma inhaled sharply and Leo instinctively put his arm around her for support.

"Is there any way to track that?" He asked, knowing that Jemma wanted to know but didn't have enough control right now to ask. Coulson shook his head.

"We already tracked the source, it was a phone that we found lying in the street about five miles from here."

"So why are you all here then?" asked Jemma, her voice trembling.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can find a person in more ways than one Miss Simmons," answered Agent Coulson.

"Jemma," Jemma corrected him, "so what can we do to help?"

"Can you think of anyone who might want to-" Coulson was cut off before he could finish.

"Jemma?" Jemma looked down to see Lucy tugging on her sleeve.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Jemma immediately turned from the agent questioning her to attend to her sister.

"We're hungry," Lucy told her.

"Alright honey," Jemma turned to Agent Coulson, "can we continue this in the kitchen?"

"Of course," Coulson gestured for her to lead the way and the trio plus Lucy made their way down the hall. They stepped into the kitchen where the twins were sitting at the table, still looking shaken. Lucy went to join them as Jemma and Leo started to prep some lunch for the little ones.

"So Agent Coul-" Jemma stopped short when she saw the senior agent standing frozen in the doorway, staring at Sarah and Angela. "Agent Coulson? Is something wrong?"

"You have twin sisters," stated Coulson slowly.

"Yes..." answered Jemma, not quite sure where this was leading.

"Why doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. have you down as having twin sisters?" Coulson finally broke his gaze from the twins to look at Jemma, who was frozen over the apple she had been slicing.

"What? What do you mean S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have record of the twins?"

"Oh we have record of the girls being born, but the file shows that Sarah is one year older than Angela." Coulson raised an eyebrow at Jemma, who was mostly wondering when this agent memorized her S.H.I.E.L.D. file, "why would that be?"

"I honestly don't know sir," Jemma looked helplessly at Leo, "I marked them as twins when I filled out my paperwork. I don't see why we would have any reason to hide that fact."

"She's not lying sir," Leo chimed in, "Jemma simply can't lie; she's seriously terrible at it. If someone changed that paperwork, it wasn't her." Coulson watched both of them closely, then seemed to accept what they said.

"Who else could have changed the paperwork?" He asked Jemma, who had resumed chopping up the apple.

"The only other person who saw it before I sent it off was my mum. But I don't see why she would feel the need to change it either," responded Jemma.

"Where are your parents?" Coulson had clearly been wondering this for quite a while now.

"They're picking up my brother Patrick," Jemma told him, "but Pat doesn't like big receptions so they left us here at home." Coulson nodded.

"Have you notified them of what has happened?" Jemma shook her head.

"I haven't exactly had a chance sir."

"I suggest that you give them a call as soon as we finish here," said Coulson, "and I'll be wanting a word with them when they return."

"I expect they'll want a word with you as well," muttered Fitz.

"Why is it so important that the girls are twins sir?" asked Jemma, still a little confused.

"We may have a lead," replied Coulson cryptically. Fitz rolled his eyes and Jemma gave Coulson a cut-the-crap look.

"My sister is missing and if you have some answers I would be much obliged for you to share them," she said, gritting her teeth. Coulson sighed and looked around.

"Suffice it to say that the kidnappers probably weren't after Rebecca." Jemma glanced at Leo quizzically. He shrugged and they both turned back to Coulson.

"Pack your bags," Coulson told them, "we're moving you to a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. facility." Jemma opened her mouth to protest, but Leo laid a hand on her arm.

"Jemma," he said softly. They both knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't tell them anymore while they were out in public, just in case some sensitive material fell on the wrong ears. Simmons looked at Fitz, then relaxed and nodded.

"We'll be ready as soon as possible sir," she told Coulson. The agent nodded and stepped away to rejoin his team.

* * *

"Yes Mum, that is exactly what happened." Leo, Jemma, and the girls were in the back of a black S.H.I.E.L.D. sedan, on their way to wherever Agent Coulson was taking them, and Jemma was on the phone with her mother.

"No, I am not joking, how could you even think that I would about something like this?" Jemma said, both insulted and exasperated, looking like she wanted to be doing anything other than talking to her mom right now.

"Look Mum, there's a high level agent in charge of Becky's investigation; his team is escorting us to a safe-house. They've sent a couple agents to your location and after you pick up Patrick they'll bring the three of you to meet us, okay? That's all I have for you right now Mum, I'm sorry," Jemma paused listening to her mother speak. "Okay Mum, got it. I promise I will look after them with my life and we have Leo with us too so that's an extra set of eyes. Love you too. Bye." She snapped the phone shut and blew her breath out in a huff. Leo offered her a comforting smile and she returned it with a sort of tired look in her eyes. For the first time since they had come home from their shopping trip, Fitz got a good look at his best friend. Her hair was falling out of its messy ponytail and she looked exhausted. He met her eyes when she looked back over at him and he saw the guilt that was living in them.

"You couldn't do anything about it Jemma," he said immediately, "don't do this to yourself."

"She's somewhere that I can't take care of her Fitz," Jemma's voice was filled with agony, a pain that had been building all afternoon, one that was deeper then someone Jemma's age should ever have to endure. "A long time ago I promised her I would always be there for her, wherever and whenever she needed me, and today she needed me _and I wasn't there._" Fitz undid his seatbelt and slid over right next to Simmons, pulling her into a hug as the tears broke through her control. She leaned into him, sobbing and getting his shirt all wet, but he didn't care. Fitz simply held her and let her cry herself dry whispering,

"Shhh, it's okay Jemma, it's gonna be alright. S.H.I.E.L.D. is gonna get Becky back unharmed."

"But she won't be Fitz; she's going to be changed and she's not going to be my little sister anymore," Jemma sniffled, "She sacrificed herself to keep the little ones safe; that's not something a fourteen year old should have to decide to do, Fitz, I don't even know if I could do that."

"Everyone has to change sometime Jemma," Fitz said softly, "Becky is growing up, but she still trusts you more than anyone."

"How can she?" Jemma turned her face up to look into Fitz's eyes, "I abandoned her; I left her alone."

"You didn't abandon her Jemma and she knows that; she isn't going to blame you for this. Do you want to know how I know that she still trusts you unconditionally?" He asked, gently stroking Simmons' hair. Jemma nodded, certain that he wouldn't have a good enough explanation for her.

"Because," said Fitz, "for the few minutes that she had a phone, she chose to send a message to S.H.I.E.L.D., the agency that _you're _training to work for, not to your mom's college or your dad's company. She wanted them to get in touch with you because she trusts you to get you out of this and I know that you will." Jemma's lip quivered and fresh tears slid down her cheeks, silently this time. Fitz left her to her thoughts for a few minutes, staying by her side with his arm wrapped supportively around her shoulders. For this car ride at least, he was the only thing holding her together. She finally leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you Fitz," she whispered.


	9. Fretting and Fandoms

They pulled up to an airfield about half an hour later. The twins were passed out and Lucy was yawning hugely. Their car stopped and the door opened, revealing Agent Coulson. Fitz put Lucy on his back and gathered Sarah into his arms, letting Simmons get Angela.

"What are we doing here sir?" whispered Fitz, "I thought that we were going to a secure base."

"We are," replied Coulson quietly. He pointed over to the side of the airfield where a small jet was waiting for them. Fitz nodded and the group made their way over to the aircraft. After a short twenty minute flight they started descending. Jemma looked out the window.

"Fitz," she said, nudging him, "we can't be landing. We're out over open water-no land at all." Fitz frowned, then pointed.

"Look there," Jemma squinted and could just make out some kind of a ship, "that must be where we're landing," Fitz told her.

"It is," said Agent Coulson, overhearing their conversation, "It's the very beginning of a prototype program that S.H.I.E.L.D. is developing. I can explain more one we're inside." Fitz and Simmons nodded and lapsed back into silence, watching the little ones sleep in their laps. Coulson reached up and pressed on his ear, presumably listening to someone on the other end of his comms.

"Yes, sir, I'll debrief them right away. We're just about to land." Even as he spoke the words the quinjet touched down without so much as a bump. Coulson stood and ushered the quintet outside and across the deck of the ship. They entered through a pair of sliding glass doors and Coulson showed them into a side room. He shut and locked the door, then took a seat behind the desk and gestured for them to be seated across from him. Jemma and Leo looked at him expectantly, waiting for his explanation to start.

"Alright," began Coulson, "to start, you need to know that none of this information can ever be repeated, blah blah blah, the usual spiel, but also take note that this is way above your clearance level, given that you don't technically have a clearance level yet. However, Director Fury has made an exception given the circumstances." He paused, "For the past few months we have been tracking the movements of what we first perceived as a terrorist cell. However, after a while we came to realize that they weren't acting like terrorists-no bombs, no mass destruction, etc. The only crime that they committed was kidnapping." He focused on Jemma now, "specifically, they went after identical twins." Fitz and Simmons subconsciously tightened their grips on Angela and Sarah.

"Why?" whispered Jemma.

"The intel that we've managed to gather shows that they are conducting experiments, testing the effects on the twins."

"They're scientists," Fitz stated the fact in a monotone. Jemma gasped.

"Becky..."

"We don't think that she will be subject to their testing," Coulson said quickly, "she's no good to them alone."

"Then why take her at all?" asked Fitz.

"Leverage," answered Coulson, "we believe they were actually after the twins; they think that they can use Rebecca as leverage to get you to hand them over."

"But...how..." Jemma stuttered, at a loss for words, "We could never choose..."

"You won't ever have to Jemma," Fitz told her, "right?" he asked Coulson.

"We have a full squad of agents working to locate your sister, Miss Simmons," replied the older agent, "we are checking every known location that the kidnappers have ever stopped in. We will get her back." Jemma sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Is there somewhere we could lay the girls down?" inquired Fitz. Now that they had the basics of what was going on more pressing needs were surfacing.

"Of course," said Coulson, rising from his chair, "follow me." The worry-plagued scientists headed out of the office, focusing their concern on the exhausted kids in their arms.

* * *

Jemma blinked and opened her eyes, forgetting where she was for just a moment. She rolled over and saw Lucy curled up on Fitz's bed, golden curls all messy and her mouth just slightly hanging open. The twins were just two tiny balls on the extra mattress that S.H.I.E.L.D. had dragged out. Fitz was nowhere in sight. Jemma pushed herself up and swung her legs off the bed. She grabbed a clean pair of jeans and tugged them on, then slipped a deep purple sweater over her head, carefully maintaining the silence in the room. She set an anxious glance at the still sleeping kids, torn between wanting to find out what was happening and not wanting to leave them on their own. After a moment of debating she opted to go-_there's no windows, _she told herself reassuringly, _and I can lock the door. _She laced up her black boots and twisted the door knob slowly. She slipped out into the hall, locking the door with a quiet click behind her. It wasn't until she was standing outside the room that she realized that she had no idea where she was going.

"Jemma!" Simmons' head snapped in the direction of Fitz's voice, her face slipping into a weary smile.

"Morning, Fitz."

"How are you?" he asked, his eyes worriedly searching her own. Jemma sighed, not really answering. She let Fitz pull her close in a comforting hug.

"I know," he murmured, understanding the anxiety that she couldn't put into words.

"Agent Coulson has some news for us," said Fitz a minute later. Jemma pulled back, fear building behind her eyes.

"Lead the way," she said, gesturing down the hall.

When the pair emerged from the labyrinth of corridors, they found themselves in an open office space. There were several rows of computers with low level agents hard at work sitting in front of them. There were several large windows allowing sunlight to pour in and give Simmons a view of the clouds below them-_wait, what? _Jemma did a double take and stared out the window again. Fitz chuckled a little next to her, obviously enjoying her reaction. Clearly, he had already seen this room, judging by his lack of surprise.

"It's a helicarrier, Jem," he told her, grinning as he guided her over to the table where Agent Coulson was waiting for them.

"Good morning Miss Simmons." Agent Coulson greeted her with a smile.

"Jemma," corrected Jemma automatically.

"Jemma," repeated Coulson, "how did you sleep?"

"As well as could be expected, sir," replied Simmons. Coulson nodded and turned to the computer in front of him.

"We've received another communication from Rebecca," he told Jemma. Jemma grabbed Fitz's arm to steady herself.

"What did it say?" she asked, bracing herself for the worst.

"It was a bit cryptic," said Coulson, "which is why we sent Fitz here to get you...we're hoping this is some kind of code, otherwise we're at a loss." Jemma just stared at him, waiting for him to tell her the message.

"It said: 'Stick to your ticket, your train leaves at 11. The game is on so don't be late Doctor.'" Coulson and Fitz were watching Jemma intently, and both relaxed when they saw a small, tense smile spread across her face. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes and Fitz saw her mouth something to herself that looked suspiciously like _Doctor Who?_ Jemma looked up at both of them.

"I know what she's trying to say." Fitz raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's a sort of…code, like you said Agent Coulson. Something that the two of us worked out, just in case anything ever happened and we needed to send an indirect message." Simmons hesitated, "I'm afraid it might seem a little silly, the way that we set up the code, but it seemed the best way to ensure secrecy."

"Go on," said Agent Coulson.

"The first part _must_ be a Harry Potter reference; it refers to the time and sometimes the place to meet or go to or whatever the particular situation lends itself to require. If the first part doesn't convey a place, then the location will come in the first part of the next sentence." Jemma paused and took a breath. "The second part is a way to make sure that it's actually one of us, Rebecca or myself that is, that sent the message. I think we came up with somewhere around a hundred or so sentences that can be sent. Some of them require a certain response for confirmation; others specifically require that you _don't _respond."

"What does this one entail?" asked Coulson, gesturing at the computer screen. Jemma studied the message for a moment more.

"Is one of the known locations a train station?" she asked. Coulson looked at one of the lower level agents who nodded.

"Yes," answered Coulson.

"Good," said Jemma, "They're taking her there at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning."

"What about the second part?" inquired Fitz, speaking up for the first time in a little while.

"The game is on…." muttered Jemma, "However they've been moving, they've been doing it quickly and…" Some sort of realization came over her as she contemplated the sentence and a mask of fright fell over her face.

"What is it Jemma?" asked Fitz, concern etched into his features.

"The game is on…" she said, "Fitz, it's a Sherlock reference; whoever has her likes to play…sort of mind games would be the best way to put it. She's warning us-he means to play with our minds too."

"Does this require a response?" Coulson interrupted Jemma's epiphany.

"Um….yes," Jemma nodded, "All you have to say is 'Doctor? Doctor who?'"

"How are you even going to get that to her?" Fitz asked Coulson, "Come to think of it, how did she send another message in the first place? Didn't you say that you found her phone all smashed up on the side of the road?"

"We traced this message to another phone," responded Coulson, "Also smashed, but quite a ways from where the first one was located."

"Becky has at least a dozen phones on her all the time," Simmons gave a watery smile, "She's gotten so good at hiding them, I doubt even I could find them all in the first go round and I was the one who showed her how to hide her first phone in her sleeve so that no one could grab it from her hand."

"As for how we'll get the message to Rebecca," continued Coulson, "we can plant it on the same feed under the same encoding that she placed in our system. That way when she checks it next she'll see our return message." Fitz nodded in understanding.

"Best get started then."


	10. Some Stars Burn Bright

An hour later found Jemma pouring milk for her sisters who had just woken up. Fitz was standing watching the programmers who were working on the message to Rebecca. Agent Coulson walked back into the room.

"We have a perimeter around the station," he said, "and we have a team ready to go in and ambush these people-"

"A team?" Fitz was incredulous, "that's not going to work sir."

"I appreciate your help Fitz, but I've been doing this for a while and trust me," said Coulson, "I'm very good at my job."

"Fitz is right sir," Jemma piped up, "your plan won't work."

"Please, do enlighten me," Coulson had an edge of frustration to his voice.

"It's simple really," said Jemma, "you know that you have to take the twins into that station with you and I'm not letting them out of my sight."

"Since you didn't figure Jemma into your preparations, the plan won't work," finished Fitz.

"How did you know we needed the twins?" Coulson frowned, "we just figured that out ourselves." Fitz rolled his eyes.

"If you don't have the twins then there's nothing to keep the kidnappers from shooting the people you send in," he said as though it were the most obvious thing ever. Jemma nodded in agreement.

"What exactly are you suggesting Jemma?" asked Coulson.

"I'm going in there," she stated.

"_We're _going in there," corrected Fitz. Simmons sighed.

"We've been over this Fitz; someone has to stay with Lucy."

"It's not like there aren't hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents here to watch her Jemma."

"I want her with someone she knows, not some strange agent!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," interjected Coulson, "you think we're sending two completely unprepared students into a potentially dangerous situation?"

"No, you're only sending one," Simmons answered, still glaring at Fitz, "otherwise, I'm not letting the twins go." She finally faced Coulson, letting the ultimatum sink in. "Those are your choices, Agent Coulson."

"I can't send you alone Jemma," Coulson shook his head, "it's too dangerous."

"What if I went as well?" interjected Fitz before Jemma could respond. Coulson debated for a moment.

"I could probably swing that," he decided, "probably."

"No Fitz," Jemma shook her head firmly, "I won't let you-"

"Look Jemma, it's the only way for you to stay with them and get Becky back," Fitz stared her down, "we have to do it like this." Jemma pressed her lips into a defiant straight line, but she knew that Fitz was right. She looked at Agent Coulson.

"So what do we do?"

* * *

Fitz and Simmons crept quietly along the wall of the train station. They were both uncomfortable in the tactical gear they had to wear, but neither said anything. Angela and Sarah clung silently to the older kids' backs, dressed in dark clothing and shaking with fear. The station was abandoned and looked like it had been for quite some time, although S.H.I.E.L.D. had record of recent activity.

_"Alright Fitzsimmons, you're clear to enter the building." _Coulson spoke over the comms.

"Roger that," Fitz muttered back. Simmons and Fitz stepped through an open doorway and quickly slipped into the shadows off to the left. Jemma glanced down at her watch nervously. _Five minutes, _she thought. She flinched slightly when she heard Coulson's voice in her ear again.

_"Simmons, we have a new message from your sister." _

"What does it say?" asked Jemma, thinking it odd that Becky would send a message now.

_"It just says...Seamus Finnigan."_ Coulson hesitated over the name,

_"Oh wait...one more...this one says Run Neville."_ Jemma felt the blood drain from her face and her gaze dropped involuntarily to her watch.

"What is it Jemma?" Fitz was watching his partner worriedly.

_"Simmons, what's this one supposed to mean?"_

"She wants me to blow up the building," whispered Jemma.

"What?!" Fitz exclaimed, "we can't do that, we don't even have explosives, or-"

"We don't need them Fitz." Simmons unbuckled her watch and held it up.

"That's not..." Jemma nodded, mouth set in a grim line.

"We really need to have a talk about what your sister does with her free time," muttered Fitz under his breath.

_"I don't know that blowing up the building is going to help us," _interjected Coulson, ever the voice of reason.

"That's a fair point," said Fitz, "If Becky's in the building, won't blowing it up be a bit counter-productive?"

"It's….a bit complicated." Jemma sighed, "Rebecca loves to pretend to be a spy, secret agent, that sort of thing. Her favorite games to play were the ones where there was going to be a threat on all of our lives and it was up to her to save us. That's why we have a secret code, and that's where the watches came from."

"Watches, plural?" asked Fitz. Jemma nodded.

"We all have one. Even the twins. I'm the only one who wears it anymore, mostly to appease Becky, but also, I really needed a watch."

_"__You care to explain what the watches do, Simmons?"_Coulson inserted himself smoothly back into their conversation.

"Each watch has two potential uses," explained Jemma, "either explosive or detonator. You use the buttons that set the time to prime the watch for whichever role it's going to play."

_"__How much of an explosion are we talking?"_

"My watch alone is rigged with enough heptanitrocubane to bring down this entire building, plus some," Jemma hesitated, "Sir, there's something else."

_"__What is it?"_

"You're going to have to let me blow up the building while Rebecca's inside."

"Are you mental, Jemma?!" Fitz stared at her as though she had gone mad, "We can't do that."

"Let me finish, Fitz," said Jemma, furnishing her partner with a glare, "Rebecca's been working on her watch longer then she worked on the ones she made for us…it has a few safety features."

_"__I don't suppose one of those features is going to help her survive a massive explosion, is it?" _asked Coulson wryly.

"Actually…." Jemma trailed off for a moment, and then smiled at Fitz, "she has this shield that she designed and it's made out of Kevlar so it _is_ pretty much fireproof…"

"How did she manage to get a full length shield to fold up into a watch?" Fitz was clearly wracking his brain, trying to understand the engineering behind Becky's watch.

"She did some kind of shrinking thing on it, I'm honestly not quite certain," Jemma shook her head, "she explained it all to me when she was doing it, but I didn't actually pay super close attention."

_"__That's very nice and all, but a shield isn't going to protect her from an explosion on all sides,"_ said Coulson.

"This one will." Jemma grinned widely, "It wraps around her, creating a sort of bubble, leaving her enough air to breathe and a tiny bit of space to shift around in. It completely seals her off from the outside." There was silence on the other end of the comms as Coulson contemplated what she was saying.

"You can't _actually_ be considering allowing this sir?" Fitz was incredulous, "We can't just blow up a building with a 14 year old girl in it, shield or not!"

"We can if she's the one telling us to do it Fitz!" argued Jemma, "Look, Rebecca is brilliantly smart; she's already figured out any possible way for us to rescue her and obviously, this is the best one. She knows, and you and I know too, that this is the only way to take out her captors and get her back without giving them the twins. This place will go up in flames-look how dry it is," she ran her hand over the crumbling wood, "and when the flames clear, we can pull her out." Jemma looked Fitz dead in the eyes, "Rebecca wants us to do this-no, scratch that, _needs_ us to do this, Fitz, please." Fitz pursed his lips, uncertainty filling his expression. Their silent battle was broken by Coulson over the comms again.

_"__Do we need to reply to Rebecca?"_

"Not for this one," answered Jemma softly, "She'll know as soon as my watch is primed." Fitz's face smoothed out as Jemma spoke and he nodded to her watch.

"Better get on that then, I know Becky doesn't like to be kept waiting."


	11. Reunion and Recruitment

Jemma held her breath as she punched the last sequence into the watch. Fitz watched anxiously and they both sagged with relief when it beeped twice, signaling that it was primed.

"Alright Coulson, its ready," Jemma said softly.

_"Good because there's a group heading your way and it looks like they have a young girl with them." _

Fitz rubbed Jemma's arm comfortingly.

"You sure about this?" Jemma nodded.

"I have to get her back." Tears pricked her eyes and Fitz pulled her into a hug.

"We will," he told her.

_"They're entering the warehouse. You just have to throw and run." _Coulson's voice was calming and comforting over the comms. Jemma pulled away from Fitz and squared her shoulders, steeling herself.

_Let's do this._

* * *

Coulson watched the two scientists on the video feed that played directly into the van that the extraction team was hiding out in. He held his breath, watching the gang of kidnappers enter the garage.

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

Coulson silently counted down in his head, then watched the warehouse turn into a huge ball of flame. He let out a tiny breath of relief when he saw two figures flee up the hill, away from the fire. Suddenly, there was a tapping on the car door. A frown formed on Coulson's face and he whipped around and pulled his gun. He slid the door open cautiously and his jaw fell open when he saw who was standing there.

"Hi there."

* * *

Footsteps echoed through the empty warehouse. Jemma drew her arm back, bracing herself. A group of four men entered the open space and Jemma threw the watch without hesitation, not waiting to see if Becky was with them or not. Fitz grabbed her arm and they fled out the door behind them, scrambling up the hill toward the van. Heat seared their backs as, wherever she was, Rebecca detonated the explosive. Hearts racing with fear and adrenalin, Fitz and Jemma came to a halt next to the van. They leaned against the sleek black exterior and Fitz let his head roll to the side so that he was looking at Simmons.

"We just did that." A little bit of wonder colored the exhaustion in his voice.

"We did, didn't we?" Jemma started to laugh, a nervous giggle that enveloped her until she slid down into a heap on the ground. Leo joined her, both of them laughing hysterically to cover the way that they were shaking with nervous energy. The door of the van slid open and Coulson looked down at the couple lying on the ground.

"I think they're going into shock," he said over his shoulder to the other people in the van. Simmons looked up at him, shook her head, and looked back down at Fitz.

"How soon can we go down to get Becky?" asked the latter, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"You don't have to," said Coulson evenly. Jemma jerked slightly and whipped her head up to look at the senior agent.

"What are you talking about?" Panic and anger ran across her face, "Of course we do, that was the purpose of all of this!" Coulson moved slightly to the left, leaving a bit of space in the doorway of the van.

"Really Jemma, you didn't actually think I was going to use an untested suit in a life-or-death situation, did you?" Jemma and Fitz's jaws dropped open as a perfectly fine Rebecca clambered out of the van.

"What-how-what-" Fitz spluttered, eyes flicking between Coulson and Becky until they finally settled on the young girl, "Explain yourself!" Becky opened her mouth to respond when suddenly the wind was knocked out of her by the force of her sister tackling her with a hug.

"You're okay, you're okay." Jemma repeated the words like a mantra, ensuring that her sister was truly alright. Rebecca returned the hug tightly and smiled at Jemma.

"Yes I am. Also, at the next opportunity we are going to work on your running away skills, cause that run up the hill was pitiful." Jemma pulled back and glared at Becky. She kept one arm around her sister, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, _now_ explain yourself."

"Well you see," began Becky, "they didn't search me or anything, which was quite stupid really. So I knew that I could get a message to you by hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. and leaving it there."

"Did occur to you that S.H.I.E.L.D. is very well protected electronically?" asked Coulson. Rebecca shrugged.

"It's not that difficult to crack and it's not like I haven't hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s systems before." She dropped that fact casually, causing Jemma to gasp and stare at her with wide eyes.

"Rebecca Grace Simmons!" Becky winced slightly at the use of her middle name while Fitz chuckled softly to himself. Even Coulson was having trouble concealing his smile.

"What? It's not my fault you won't write home about the things you're working on." Fitz full on laughed at Becky's statement. Jemma frowned at her sister, and then rolled her eyes.

"Go on," she said, sighing exasperatedly.

"So anyway, they took my phone when they saw me using it-"

"Yeah, yeah we know this part," interrupted Fitz, "get to the interesting bits!" Rebecca spared a second to glare at him.

"Okay, fast forward. So I had realized that they were locking me with electronic handcuffs, which surprisingly are actually not that difficult to hack from a cell phone. Anyhow, I overheard them talking about some old abandoned train station or something and I guessed, correctly, that they were taking me there for some reason." She took a breath and her audience nodded to show that they were still following the story.

"So I figured that the only way they were going to let me go without getting something in return and without killing me was if they were dead and the only way I could think to get that message through to you guys was if I told you to blow them up. But I also knew that they weren't likely to let me out of their sight, which was a problem. Thankfully, they were a little dense sometimes." Becky rolled her eyes, "I mean, you'd think that after the third cell phone they'd frisk me down or something, but no. So when we were on the way to the train station I hacked the handcuffs and got them loose and right before we walked inside I dropped them and ran for the van that I saw parked up here, figuring it was probably S.H.I.E.L.D." She finished her story with a smile. "Was that explanation up to par?"

"You are brilliant," Fitz told her as Jemma pulled her sister back into another hug. Coulson nodded, looking hard at Rebecca with a thoughtful expression.

"Alright, c'mon," said the older agent, "We should be getting back to the helicarrier." Rebecca's eyes grew wide.

"Helicarrier?" Fitz and Jemma grinned at each other over Becky's head.

"Wait and see Beck," said Fitz and the three of them joined Coulson in the van, heading back to safety.

* * *

"Rebecca!" Mrs. Simmons rushed forward and pulled her daughter into her arms. Mr. Simmons embraced his eldest daughter and Fitz.

"Thank you," he whispered to them. They nodded and watched Laura fuss over Becky, checking every inch of her skin for injury. Carl turned to Coulson.

"Thank you so much, for everything." Coulson smiled.

"Just doing my job." Laura finished with Becky and looked up at Leo and Jemma, fixing them with a stern maternal look and giving them a thorough once over.

"Are you two all right?" They both nodded fervently. Satisfied, Laura turned to Coulson, thanking him profusely.

"Is there any way we can ever repay you?" Coulson just smiled kindly.

"I was just doing my job ma'am. I do have a question for Rebecca though." Everyone's eyes swung back to look at Becky.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I'm sure that you know that I can't employ you until you're 18; however, I'd like to ask you to consider signing on as a consultant to the S.H.I.E.L.D. communications department." Rebecca's face melted into a mask of shock. Jemma and Fitz exchanged a surprised glance and Laura and Carl gave each other looks that said _Do we really need another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the family?_

"Why would you want me as a consultant?" Rebecca was totally feigning modesty and Jemma rolled her eyes at it. Coulson smiled at the young girl.

"Because you could easily show up half of the current communications agents and _they_ all graduated from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy." A smug smile fixed itself on Becky's face. Coulson directed his attention to her parents.

"She won't be in any danger-S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ is probably the most secure building in the United States government, the White House included." Laura and Carl nodded, both looking visibly relieved.

"Also," continued Coulson, "Even though we can't technically give her a salary, I'm sure we could work out some sort of compensation arrangement, if you're interested." Rebecca's smile widened and she looked pleadingly at her parents. Her mom sort of sighed and finally gave her a _well-if-you-must _look. Becky squealed and clapped her hands together. Fitz rolled his eyes good-naturedly and leaned over to Jemma.

"I don't think this is good for her ego," he whispered. Jemma snorted and nodded in agreement.

"C'mon, we can let them work out the details," she said to Fitz, "Let's go see if we can find my brother." Fitz shrugged and turned to follow her. She grinned at him.

"You're going to like Patrick."


	12. Christmas Carol

**A/N: Sorry everyone about the long wait for this update...I have been super busy with school and then I just spent the entire weekend at a tournament with no internet so I couldn't update:( Sorry! Hopefully this rather long (comparatively) chapter makes up for that!**

* * *

As it turned out, Fitz did hit it off with Jemma's brother. Patrick was majoring in Computer Sciences and the three of them spent the remainder of the afternoon discussing the research paper that one of Patrick's professors had given him to write over the break. They had essentially written the first half of the essay when Carl came and knocked on the door.

"Alright kiddos, pack it up. Agent Coulson is taking us home." Jemma and Patrick gave identical eye rolls at their father's term of endearment.

"We're not kids anymore, Dad," said Jemma as they walked past him. Her father simply smiled at her and held the door open for them.

"You'll always be kids to me Jem," he said softly.

* * *

Jemma didn't think that she would ever be as relieved as she was when the S.H.I.E.L.D. sedan pulled up in front of their house that evening. She reached over and gently shook the twins.

"Sarah. Angie. Time to wake up. We're home."

Lucy stretched her small arms up from her position on Laura's lap and gave a cute little yawn. Up front, Becky was having an animated conversation with Agent Coulson about one of his old assignments; something to do with New Mexico, if Jemma was remembering correctly. Carl was the first out of the car once it parked, turning to take Lucy from Laura and help his wife out of the car. Jemma and Fitz pulled the twins out and stepped up onto the sidewalk. Becky stepped out of her seat, still speaking with Coulson, even as she joined her family on the sidewalk. When she finally finished what she was saying and fell quiet, Carl grasped Coulson's hand firmly.

"Thank you again, so much," he said. Coulson smiled warmly; he had grown fond of Carl Simmons in the few hours they had spent together.

"It was my job, Mr. Simmons." Laura also smiled thankfully at the agent.

"We should get the little ones inside," she said, "thank you Agent Coulson." They took the twins and Lucy and headed toward the house, closely followed by Patrick. Coulson turned to the three people who remained outside.

"It was nice to meet both of you," he said to Fitz and Simmons.

"Likewise," replied Fitz with a smile.

"It's been a pleasure," added Jemma. Coulson looked over to Rebecca.

"I expect I'll be seeing you again soon, Miss Simmons." Becky nodded eagerly and Coulson smiled at her excitement.

"Well it looks like this is goodbye for now then." Coulson nodded to both Jemma and Leo. "I look forward to working with the both of you in the future." They both nodded and watched as the older agent returned to the car and started the engine. With a final wave he backed the car up and drove away, out of their lives-for now.

Jemma wrapped an arm tightly around Rebecca's shoulders and pulled her close.

"I think this calls for some hot cocoa," said Fitz, his eyes twinkling. Jemma nodded and the three of them joined the rest of the family inside the house.

* * *

Blessedly, the remaining week and a half before Christmas passed uneventfully. It took no time at all for the Simmons household to fill to the brim with holiday cheer. Everyone (except Carl) made sugar cookies and popcorn balls and helped to decorate the tree. True to Jemma's word, Rebecca ate all of her popcorn; but this year she had a defense, claiming that they didn't need her ball since Fitz was here. Carl set up a little train that ran in circles around the base of the tree and taught the twins how to run it while Rebecca, Jemma, and Laura hung round ornaments on the tree's branches. When they had finished that, Fitz lifted little Lucy up so that she could place the star upon the top of the tree.

Soon it was Christmas Eve and everyone except Fitz was tucked away in bed, four sets of little eyes closed, eagerly awaiting their visit from 'Santa'. Fitz crept down the stairs, a small package wrapped in navy blue paper and tied with bronze ribbon in his grasp. He carefully tucked it in amongst the other larger gifts under the tree, smiling softly to himself. The lights twinkled from the branches as he turned his back and retreated up the stairs.

* * *

_Tap tap tap._

"Jemma, wake _up_ already!"

Jemma groaned and rolled over as the sound of Rebecca's footsteps moved down the hall towards Fitz's room. Light filtered through her window and a smile made its way across her face as she woke up completely.

_Christmas!_

She sat up a bit too quickly and blood rushed down from her head, making her vision go black. Jemma waited for her eyes to clear and then shoved her feet into her fuzzy purple slippers. They clashed horribly with her blue flannel pajama bottoms and gray tank top, but she really didn't care. Stumbling slightly across the floor, Jemma ran out of her room and turned down the hall. A burst of giggles escaped her lips when she saw Rebecca tugging Fitz out of his room by his ankles. His pajama pants, which were patterned with little monkeys, had bunched up around his knees and he was probably going to have a bit of carpet burn on his back where his white t-shirt had ridden up.

"Rebecca!" The admonishment in Jemma's tone was ruined by the humor shining in her eyes. Becky dropped Fitz's legs, grinning widely, and joined her younger sisters at the top of the stairs. Lucy and the twins were sitting on the very top step, rocking back and forth impatiently. They knew that they wouldn't get to go downstairs until everyone was awake and they got permission from their parents. Jemma stepped over and offered a hand to a bedraggled Fitz. He took it gratefully and smiled sheepishly while he smoothed out his clothes.

"I think next time I'd prefer you set an alarm," he told Becky. She smiled angelically, as though she hadn't pulled him unceremoniously from his sleep. An unruly curl fell down onto Fitz's forehead and Jemma instinctively reached up and brushed it back. Her own hair was mostly falling out of her ponytail, but all she really cared was that that one rebellious curl stayed tucked back. Fitz gave her a sweet smile and linked their arms. He set their pace at agonizingly slow as they began their procession down the stairs.

"That's not very nice Fitz!" Becky gave them a pouty face as they went past. Jemma and Leo grinned at each other and made no attempt to speed up the process. The smell of fresh cinnamon bread wafted temptingly toward them as they approached the kitchen. Laura turned around when she heard them come in.

"Happy Christmas dears!" She swept them both into a warm hug and they breathed in the scent of cinnamon and sugar and honey.

"Happy Christmas Mum," said Jemma when she pulled back.

"Happy Christmas Laura," added Fitz. Laura spun back around and handed them each a plate with two slices of thick, fresh cinnamon bread on it, a thick spread of butter already melting on top. Fitz felt his mouth start to water as he gratefully accepted his plate. From the looks of Jemma, she felt the same way about their breakfast. Laura handed them a boat of honey before shooing them from the kitchen.

"Out, out! I need to finish up in here so that we can let the little ones come down before they hurt themselves with their impatience!" She sent Jemma a pointed look with her last statement and her daughter blushed deep red.

"That was _not_ my fault!" Fitz raised his eyebrows at Jemma and she groaned.

"What did you do Simmons?" he asked, eyes glinting mischievously. Jemma shot her mother a look and stalked out of the kitchen without answering Fitz's question. Fitz looked back at Laura.

"Fell down the stairs, that one," she said, nodding after Jemma. Fitz snorted and an indignant noise reached them from the hallway.

"I did not _fall_. Rebecca _pushed_ me."

"Suuuuuuuuuuure she did Jem," said Fitz at the same time that Rebecca's voice echoed down the stairs.

"I did not push you!" Grinning, Fitz made his way out to the living room. He nodded a good morning to Patrick who was sitting against the couch deeply immersed in some techie book and not looking like he was going to surface anytime soon.

"Care to elaborate on that little mishap Simmons?" Jemma glared at Fitz in the way that she usually reserved for her microscope when it wasn't cooperating.

"No." She grumpily took a bite of cinnamon bread.

"I could always ask Becky," he said offhandedly, settling down on the floor next to Jemma. His best friend huffed and frowned at him. He smiled innocently until she finally relented.

"It was when I was eight; Becky was two and we were waiting at the top of the stairs for Mum and Dad to come out from the kitchen. I was bored so I started teasing Becky that since she had been so naughty this year she wasn't going to get any presents. And then she pushed me down the stairs like the horrid two-year-old little sister that she was."

"That is not how it happened at _all_," said Rebecca from the top of the stairs.

"You were two! You don't even remember it!"

"I remember Mum and Dad dragging us all to the A&E on _Christmas morning_ so that you could get a cast on your arm," retorted Becky. Fitz turned another amused look on Jemma, whose scowl plainly said _don't you dare say a thing_. As usual, Fitz ignored her.

"You broke your arm falling down the stairs Jemma?"

"Maybe a little," she muttered, hastily taking a gulp of milk. Fitz laughed hard, setting his food down so that he didn't spill it. Jemma leveled another glare at him and he was saved from certain death-by-biochemist only by the timely entrance of said biochemist's parents.

"Can we come down now?" Rebecca was on high alert the minute she caught sight of her parents.

"I don't know why you'd want to," said Carl innocently, "There's nothing here."

"Daaaaaaaaaaaad," said Becky whiningly. It was like a ritual for them. He always pretended that they hadn't gotten any presents just to tease them. Rebecca knew better than to believe him by now, but the twins and Lucy had genuine fear in their eyes.

"You're scaring the wee ones," Rebecca told her father. Since she was still technically part of 'the little ones' despite her many protests, she referred to her younger siblings as 'the wee ones'.

"Fine, fine," said Carl, "you guys can come down-but only halfway." His eyes danced and Rebecca grumbled but she led her siblings halfway down the stairs, making sure that they didn't go any further.

"That's just mean Carl," said Laura, handing her husband a plate with some cinnamon bread on it and a mug of coffee.

"What did you expect Mum? He's been doing that for as long as _I_ can remember." Jemma smiled fondly at her dad, the annoyance in her tone all meant in jest.

"If one of them has to go to the A&E again, you're driving them," said Laura, "don't say I didn't warn you."

"Alright, alright." Carl gave in to the good-natured pressure from his oldest daughter and wife. "You little ones can come down now."

The four girls sitting on the steps squealed and took off down the stairs, Rebecca making sure that no one got trampled. Cries of delight sounded as they each ran to their small piles sitting around the Christmas tree.

Lucy was the first to start ripping open a package. She chose the biggest one, a box wrapped with gold paper and red ribbon and made quick work of the paper. She broke into a huge grin and gave a yelp of excitement when she saw the new baby doll that was waiting for her.

The twins had almost identical piles, unsurprisingly. However, they each reached for different sized packages, Angela going for a small box about half the size of an index card. It was wrapped in green paper with silver ribbons tied around it.

Sarah went for a medium sized gift that was square and fairly plain looking. It was wrapped in a yellowish paper with black ribbon accoutrements. Both twins tore into their presents with enthusiasm, not bothering with care for the wrappings. Angela's revealed a small, navy blue jewelry box which she struggled with for a moment before she was able to get it open. Her little brow furrowed as she stared at what was inside.

"It says 'Angela', honey," said Laura gently. Angela broke out into a beaming smile.

"Tha's me!" she proclaimed. Everyone around her broke into grins at her words and she returned her attention to her pile.

Sarah's package was a picture book. The backing was solid yellow and the main character was pictured on the front: a mischievous looking monkey in red rain boots.

"_The Complete Adventures of Curious George_," said Jemma, reading over Sarah's shoulder. Jemma looked over at Fitz who was staring with surprising interest at the picture book. She elbowed him lightly.

"The picture book is for the little ones, Fitz," she murmured jokingly.

"But Jemma! It's about a _monkey_!" Fitz complained in a whisper. Jemma chuckled and they turned to watch Rebecca. She was a bit more meticulous in her unwrapping, carefully untying the ribbon and peeling off the paper which she neatly folded and placed next to her. She had just set her first sheet of paper down and was staring open mouthed at the box that was sitting on her lap.

"_You got me an iPad?!_" she screeched, "Ohmygoshthankyousomuch!" Totally ignoring the rest of her pile she opened the box and pulled out her latest toy.

Carl nudged Jemma with his foot.

"There are presents for you two under there," he said, nodding toward the tree. Jemma grinned at Fitz and the pair of them set their breakfasts aside and crawled over to investigate the pile under the tree.

Half an hour later, almost all the presents were opened. Lucy and the twins had all gotten new hats and mittens and Rebecca had gotten a new scarf. Jemma had received a microscope cleaning kit-an actual one, not the makeshift homemade one she had been using before-and Fitz got a book about species of monkeys in the wild. Rebecca was currently crawling behind the tree to make sure that they hadn't missed any packages.

"Hey, here's a couple!" she said, holding up two very similar looking packages. They were both wrapped in navy blue paper with bronze ribbon and were long and skinny. One was slightly longer than the other one. Rebecca looked down at the to/from tags.

"This is for Fitz, from Jemma," she said holding up to slightly longer one, "and this one is for Jemma, from Fitz." She handed them the packages accordingly, then retreated to playing with her iPad. Fitz and Simmons grinned at their identical choices in wrapping paper.

"Ladies first," said Fitz, motioning for her to open her gift.

"Nuh uh." Simmons gave him a genuine smile, one that stretched all the way up to her eyes and simply melted him inside.

"Together," she said simply. Fitz nodded and they both paused for a breath and then ripped off the wrapping paper. Fitz was holding a black plastic case and Jemma was holding a rich purple velvety necklace box. They both cracked open the packages and gasped at what they found inside.

"Wow!" Fitz was practically speechless as he pulled a perfect replica of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver out and flicked his wrist, making the screwdriver light up and do the _doo wee doo _noise.

"Fitz…it's amazing." Jemma removed a fine gold chain from the box and smiled at what was hanging from the end. It was a perfect replica of Hermione's Time Turner from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

"Thank you," they said in unison, locking eyes and giggling. Jemma reached over and casually pulled Fitz into a tight hug.

"Well you certainly know each other well," said Laura, smiling at the pair's gifts to each other. Carl nodded and pushed himself up off the couch.

"Alright now for everyone's favorite part-the clean up!" All of the Simmons' kids plus Fitz groaned in unison.

"You too Patrick," said Laura, pulling the book out of her only son's hands. He glowered at her for a moment then joined the parade of kids who were collecting wrapping paper scraps.

"Sugar cookies for you once you finish!" declared Laura, grinning when the pace moved up a notch or two in speed. Jemma sent Fitz a sideways glance and their eyes met. She beamed when she saw her own feelings mirrored on his face.

It was the best Christmas they had ever had.


End file.
